SeaChange Develops 'Personal' VOD Tool

Video-on-demand supplier SeaChange has developed a new version of its Axiom management software that will let cable customers manage their on-demand viewing through a personalized Web portal, and make program recommendations to their friends that will instantly show up in their TV's electronic program guide. The social networking feature, called Affinity, is just one of the new capabilities of SeaChange's Axiom On Demand 5.0 software.

Affinity wants to make video-on-demand a more personalized experience and help consumers better navigate through a rapidly increasing slate of VOD content.

Alan Hoff, SeaChange senior director of VOD solutions, says the way on-demand content is presented in the electronic program guide is limited by current set-top box technology, making VOD more unwieldy as more content is offered. "The customer is feeling abused by the fact they can't manage that content effectively," he says. (More details are available at broadcastingcable.com.)